Review of signs (2014) by Sara D — 11 Jun 2012

Signs is the third feature film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and, in my opinion, his last good film. It puts an interesting and unique spin on a familiar storyline: alien invasions. Movies dealing with this story are practically dime a dozen. War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Independence Day, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and hundreds of B-Movies from the 50s and 60s have what is essentially an identical storyline. Signs however tells the story from the perspective of one family, with giving next to no backstory of the aliens. I wouldn't call this movie realistic per say, but I do think its a well done a believable depiction of how such an event would commence.

The story through the perspective of the Hess family. Mel Gibson plays the father of the family, Graham Hess, a former minister who has given up on his faith after his wife died in a car accident. Living with him is his brother Merril (Joaquin Phoenix) and his two kids, Morgan and Bo (Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin). After waking up one morning to find a mysterious crop circle in their corn field, they discover what is the beginning of what seems to be an alien invasion.

I liked the story and every actor was well cast. The movie built suspense in a very effective manner. It had its share of comic relief, but for the most part it kept the suspenseful mood very consistent. Although it doesn't rely too much on shock value either, there were a few scenes that made me jump. So Signs definitely succeeds in terms of thrills and acting but there is one thing I absolutely hated... THE ENDING. For a director and screenwriter who's built a reputation on clever and creative twists, he opted for one of the most overused horror/thriller cliches I've ever seen. I call it the "Evil Never Dies" ending, and I've seen it a million times! Granted that wasn't the definitive ending, but that wasn't too interesting either due to its predictability. Thats really my only major gripe with this movie, otherwise I can't think of too much to complain about. It was creative, clever, and quite entertaining. Definitely worth a watch.